A Blackfalds family was going through their child’s Halloween haul when they found something that shouldn’t have been there: a needle.
It was inside a candy bar the child brought home from trick-or-treating on Saturday, Oct. 31. The child wasn’t hurt.
Blackfalds RCMP are now asking parents in the central Alberta town to go back through their kids’ candy, even if they already checked it on Halloween night.
Blackfalds isn’t the only community dealing with this. Police in Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia are investigating their own reports of needles in Halloween treats this week. Nobody has linked the cases. But every police service is telling parents the same thing: look before your kids eat it.
The 7 Blackfalds streets RCMP named
According to RCMP, the child went trick-or-treating in the northeast part of Blackfalds, on or near these streets:
Cedar Square
Cedar Crescent
Crimson Court
Cambridge Close
Pioneer Way
Churchill Place
Coachman Way
If your kids went door to door anywhere in that area on Halloween, go through their bag again.
Blackfalds sits between Red Deer and Lacombe, just north of Red Deer.
What police haven’t confirmed
Blackfalds RCMP haven’t identified the home where the candy bar was handed out, or said when or how the needle got inside.
Police also haven’t announced any suspects or charges.
The seven streets are where the child went trick-or-treating. They aren’t evidence that someone living on those streets tampered with the candy.
For now, investigators are asking anyone with information to call them rather than speculate online about who might be responsible.
How to check Halloween candy without getting hurt
Look first. Don’t squeeze.
Start with the wrappers. Look for pinholes, tears, loose ends, or packaging that looks opened and resealed.
Don’t press on or squeeze candy bars to feel for something sharp. A needle can go through the wrapper and into your hand.
Pay attention to anything unwrapped, or anything that doesn’t look like regular candy.
Check every piece, not just the big bars. Small treats can be tampered with too.
If something looks suspicious, don’t eat it or throw it away. Set it aside safely and contact police.
If you find something
Leave it alone. Don’t try to pull out anything stuck in the candy.
Keep the candy and the wrapper somewhere kids and pets can’t get to them. Police may need both.
Write down where your kids went trick-or-treating, and which house the treat came from, if they remember.
Call Blackfalds RCMP at 403-885-3300, or your local police if you live somewhere else.
Don’t name or accuse a household on social media. If you suspect someone, tell police.
If someone has been hurt, call 911.
Police in other provinces are investigating similar reports
Since Halloween, police in at least three other provinces have warned families about needles or sharp objects in treats:
Ontario: Durham Regional Police are investigating sewing needles found in Halloween candy in Oshawa. In Toronto, a father of three says his family found five pieces of candy that looked tampered with after trick-or-treating in the Beaches neighbourhood.
Quebec: the Sûreté du Québec received two calls about needles in chocolate or candy in Drummondville, about 100 kilometres northeast of Montreal.
Nova Scotia: RCMP say a parent found a syringe in a child’s treat bag after trick-or-treating in Beaver Bank, near Halifax.
The investigations are ongoing, and police haven’t reported any injuries. Each case is being investigated on its own.
Alberta has seen warnings like this before
Similar warnings have been issued in previous years, including in Alberta. In 2016, RCMP warned parents after needles were found in a child’s Halloween treats in Cochrane, west of Calgary.
Police haven’t established any connection between that case and the current investigations, or between this year’s cases in different provinces.
If you know something
If you have information about what happened in Blackfalds, call Blackfalds RCMP at 403-885-3300.
To stay anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at p3tips.com.
This story will be updated if RCMP release more information.
Sources
Blackfalds RCMP, Halloween candy advisory and photo, Nov. 2, 2026
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